Temperature regulator



Sept. 12, 1939. 'w. B. MACKINTOSH 2,173,059 7 TEMPERATURE REGULATORFiled Dec. 26, 1955 Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED s'rA'rEs rcrmcnsruacREGULATOR William B. Mackintosh, Anderson, Ind., assignor, by mesneassignments, to The Fulton Sylphon Company, Knoxville, Tenn, acorporation of Delaware Application December as; 1935, Serial No. 56,250

1 Claim.

This invention relates to temperature regulators, and more particularlyto temperature regulators of the type employed for controlling thecirculation of cooling water through the cooling systems of internalcombustion engines, especially automobile engines.

It is an object of this invention to provide a temperature regulator ofthe type characterized which is of simplified and improved constructionfor controlling the How of cooling, medium through a cooling system ofthe by-pass type.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device of thetype characterized wherein the main valve and the by-pass valve may bemade ofunitary construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device of thetype characterized which may be inexpensively constructed of simpleparts that are easily fabricated.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device of thetype characterized that forms a self-contained unit which may be readilymounted in and demounted from operative position in the engine coolingsystem.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device of thetype characterized which employs a valve. member of tubular constructionwhich by cooperation with the associated passages facilitates thebuidlng of the valve member and the maintenance of its movement in arectilinear path.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device of thetype characterized which employs a flanged tubular valve member having aclosed end which operates as a by-pass valve member while the flangethereon operates as a main valve member.

Other objects will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety of mechanicalexpressionssome of which are illustrated on the accompanying drawing,but it is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for purposes'ofillustration only, and is not J to be construed as a definition of thelimits '0f the invention, reference being had to the appended claim forthat purpose.

Referring in' detail to the drawing, wherein 0 the same referencecharacters are employed to.

designate corresponding parts in the several figures,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of an embodiment of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a regulator of a somewhat modifiedconstruction removed from its associated conduits; and

Fig. 3 is an axial cross section of another embodiment of thisinvention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, l0 desigmates a conduit member ofany suitable size, construction and material and designed to form a partof the cooling system of an internal combustion engine. As illustrated,it takes the form of a casting adapted to be secured to the header ofthe engine in any suitable way, as by bolts l I extending throughapertures in the flange l2 of said casting, and provided with a passagel3 leading to the radiator, so that the regulator to be described may bemounted in suspended relation in the water of the header of the coolingwater jacket. It is to be expressly understood, however, that theinvention-is not limited to an installation in this particular location,as if preferred the regulator to be described may be installed in anyother suitable position in the cooling system. As shown, the casting it!is provided with a by-pas's conduit M, illustrated as formed integrallywith the casting iii, the wall of the by-pass conduit extending inwardlyand then axially so as to provide a chamber 55 which communicates withthe bypass conduit .proper through a port It and which has at its innerextremity an aperture ll axially aligned with said port 56.

The regulator of the present invention is preferably formed as aself-contained unit composed of a combined valve seat and thermostatsupport, a thermostat mounted thereon, and a combined main and by-passvalve, preferably formed as a single member, suitably attached to thether mostat. As illustrated, an annular or otherwise suitably shapedplate-like element lB-is designed to be clamped in position between thecasting i0 and the engine header and has centrally thereof a valve portIt. Mounted on said element I8 is a thermostat support 29, here shown astaking the form of a U-shaped strap which at'its extremities is passedthrough apertures in the element l8 and suitably retained therein as bystaking. upsetting, soldering, or otherwise. As shown in Fig, 1 saidstrap 28 may be of uniform width throughout, or as indicated in Figs. 2and 3 said strap may be of reduced width at intermediate portions of thelegs'as indicated at 2!.

Attached in any suitable way to the central portion of said strap is athermostat 22 of any suitable size, character and construction, but hereshown as in the form of an expansible and collapsible deeply corrugatedtubular metal chamber, charged in anysuitableway with any suitable wall23 suitably secured to the strap it. The opposite and movable end 26 ofsaid thermostat has attached thereto inany suitable way a stem 25 fortransmitting the movements of said movable end wall to the valve membernext to be described.

'As'shown in Fig. 3, said stem 25 may be threaded at its outer extremityso that the valve member may be attached thereto by threading thereonto,

- The combined main and by-pass valve member of the present invention ispreferably formed as a Ill single piece and, for facility ofmanufacture, it is preferably formed of sheet metal-drawn to the desiredshape. As illustrated said valve member is composed of a tubular portion26 which has a closed end 2? and an outwardly extending flange 28 at itsopposite extremity. While, if preferred, said flange may extend in aplane at right angles to the axis of the stem 25, it is preferablyflared outwardly as shown in Fig. 3' so as to lie at anangle to theplane of the element it, whereby it makes a line contact with the edgeof said element It at the periphery of the port iii. In the constructionshown in Fig. 3 the opposite end 21 of said valve member is bentinwardly so as to provide an interlorly threaded hub 28 which togatherwith the extremity of the stem 25 completes the closed end of the valvemember, but if preferred the valve member may be formed as a cup, withan imperforateclosed end that is soldered or otherwise suitably securedto the end of the valve stem, as apparent from Fig. 2. The tubularportion at of said valve member is provided with one or more apertures363 to permit the iiiow or liquid through said valve member ashereinafter explained.

Aperture it heretofore referred to is of such size as to have a freesliding fit with the periphery of the tubular portion 2t 01 said valvemember, so that said valve member is guided in'its move- ?mentsby itscoaction with said aperture ill, and

.said valve member is thereby restrained to rectilinear movement. Thevalve port it is of somewhat smallersize than the closed end of saidvalve member. so that when said valve member engages its closed end 21with the wall of the chamber i containing said port it said port 88 5 isclosed.

With the regulator mounted as illustrated in Fig. 1, the flange 28 ofthe valve member is in engagement with the element id and closes theport I9 when the thermostat i2 is contracted. The fluid medium flowingthrough the engine jacketflows through-the interiorof tubularvalveportion 26 and through the ports at into the chamber It, from which itflows through the port it into the by-pass it. When the temperature ofthe cooling medium rises above that temperature at which the regulatoris designed to initiate its movement,

the thermostat 22 begins to expand as indicated in dotted lines in Fig.2, and the flange 28 is moved away from'the-port iii, the closed end 221of the valve member approaching the port it, and thereby some of thecooling medium is permitted to flow through the port iii and passage itto the radiator while the remainder of the how is through the lay-passas Just described. Thereby,

.the flow of the cooling medium through the radithermosensltive fluid,that has its stationary end ator is proportioned to the temperature ofthe cooling medium. If the temperature of the cooling medium continuesto rise thermostat 22 continues to expand until the closed end 21 of thevalve member engages the wall of the chamber l5 and closes the port 16,at which time flange 28 is in its most remote position from the port it.In this position no cooling medium can flow through the by-pass It, butall of the flow is around the valve member through the port l9 and.through.the passage It to the radiator.

By reason of the construction illustrated and described it will beperceived that the regulator of the present invention is composed of aminimum number of easily fabricated parts. The element l8 may be stampedfrom sheet metal; the thermostat support 20 may be stamped from sheetmetal and bent into shape, and its ends may be secured to the element Itby a simple operation; the valve member may be drawn from sheet metaland readily secured to the end of the valve stem which itself may be asimple piece of rod stock threaded or otherwise suitably formed at itsends: and the thermostat may be simply formed from deeply corrugatedtubing, with one end integral therewith if preferred, and closed at itsother end, or at both ends if preferred, by suitable disks attached tothe end folds of the corrugated tubular wall in a manner well understoodin the art. Therefore, all of the, parts of the regulator may be simplyformed by inexpensive manufacturing operations and the parts assembledat low cost. By use of a single tubular valve member closed at oneendand flanged at the other end and cooperating with ports adapted to berespectively closed by said closed end and said flange, a particularlysimple and efilcient by-pass valve member has. been provided. At thesame time the device is easy to install, and in operation it functionsto njicely proportion the flow of cooling medium between the radiatorand the lay-pass so as to maintain the desired cooling effect of thecooling medium.

While the embodiments of the invention illustrated on the drawings havebeen described with considerable particularity, it is to be expresslyunderstood that the invention is not restricted thereto, as the same iscapable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, some of whichwill now readily sugest themselves to those skilled in the art, whilechanges may be made in the details of construction, material,arrangement,

proportion, etc., of parts without departing from v the spirit of thisinvention. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for adefinition of the invention. a

What is claimed is:

In a temperature regulator for controlling the flow of cooling mediumthrough a by-pass type of internal combustion engine cooling system,said system'in'cluding a by-pass port, a valve mechanism adapted to beinstalled in and removed from the cooling system as a unit, said unitincluding a member adapted to be installed as a partition across apassage of said cooling system on the up-stream side of the Junction ofthe by-pass with the main passage of said system. said member beingapertured to provide a valve port, a strap-like frame member carried bysaid first-named member and projecting therefrom, a bellows thermostathaving one end secured to said strap-like frame member and its oppositeend movable toward and away from said valve port, a valve stemprojecting from the movable end of said thermostat through saidvalveport, and a cup-shaped valve member on the opposite side of saidfirst-named valve member from said thermostat and having the bottom wallof its cup secured to the end of said valve stem and adapted to closesaid by-pass port, said cup-shaped valve member being apertured andadapted to operate as a bypass valve to close and'open respectively thebypass as said cup-shaped valve member is moved away from and towardsaid first-named member 10 and said cup-shaped valvememberhavingaflaredflange at the open mouth of its cup disposed at an angle to the plane ofsaid partition member and adapted to make line contact with said valveport to open and close respectively said valve port as said sup-shapedvalve member is moved away frnm or toward said first-named member,where-

